1848. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Wild Potatoes. —It will be recollected that som e 
have recommended procuring wild potatoes for cultiva¬ 
tion, on the supposition that they would be more likely 
to escape the disease. We have in a former number 
stated that the results of some trials last year showed 
the produce of wild tubers as much affected with the 
disease as any. We learn from the English papers 
that they have been tried the past season, and proved 
equally affected as before. 
Culture of Wheat. —A discussion in relation to 
this subject by a farmers'" club in England, resulted in 
the following conclusions. 1. Preparation of the land. 
The land to be well cleaned, followed by grass or clo¬ 
ver, depastured by sheep. Plowed with a furrow eight 
to nine inches wide and four inches deep. Heavy land 
to be as light as possible at the time of sowing, and 
light land to be made as heavy as possible. 2. Tine of 
sowing and quantity of seed to be regulated by the 
season and the state of the land—early in the season 
nine pecks per acre, and more as the season advanced. 
3. Treatment of the crop . The crop to be kept clean, 
and to be rolled in the spring with one of CrosskilPs 
clod-crushers. 4. Time of reaping. Early reaping- 
grain not allowed to get ripe before being cut. The 
soil to which the discussion referred was described as of 
a lime-stone character. It is not stated whether a sub¬ 
soil plow was to be used, or whether a greater depth of 
furrow than four inches was made at any time. We 
presume there is but little, if any land devoted to wheat 
in this country, where so shallow plowing would be ad¬ 
visable. 
Bees without stings. —The inquiry is often made 
whether there are bees without stings. We are not 
able to say where any of this species can be found at 
the present time. The late Dr. James Thatcher, of 
Plymouth, Mass., in a letter published in the New 
England Farmer , in 1830, describes some of these cu¬ 
rious insects then in possession of the late Dr. Hosack, 
of Hyde Park. He says, “Dr. H. is now in possession 
of a family of bees without stings, which were sent to 
Dr. Mitchell from Mexico. He keeps them in his 
green-house that they may enjoy an atmosphere simi¬ 
lar in temperature to that in their native climate.”— 
Can any one give us any information in regard to these 
bees? 
Prophecy. —The Hon. John Lowell, in an address 
before the Massachusetts Society for promoting Agri¬ 
culture in 1818, made the following remarks in refer¬ 
ence to the connexion of chemistry with agriculture. 
They evince the wisdom and sagacity of an able mind. 
“There are few persons who have read the late able 
and interesting work on agricultural chemistry, by Sir 
Humphrey Davy, who do not perceive its intimate con¬ 
nexion with this important art, or who do not feel a 
prophetic conviction of its future usefulness.” Mr. 
Lowell went on to say that though he regarded this as 
a subject with which the practical farmer need not 
trouble himself, lest he should become “confused and 
bewildered,” yet he thought there was “reasonable 
ground of hope, that men of leisure and science would 
be led to more accurate and philosophical views of ag¬ 
riculture, and that from their experiments, their neigh¬ 
bors would derive great ultimate advantage.” 
Leaves for litter and manure. —Leaves of trees 
furnish the best of bedding for pigs. A good thickness 
of them enables the animal to cover himself completely 
and he sleeps warm and comfortably under almost any 
degree of cold. They make a good and convenient lit¬ 
ter for horses or cattle—readily absorbing the liquids, 
and at the same time affording a soft and clean resting 
place for the stock. A covering of them affords an ex¬ 
cellent winter protection for plants, and they also make 
a valuable compost for plants that will not bear the 
salts of animal manures. A mould prepared by mix¬ 
379 
ing old grass turf and leaves, well rotted, is known to 
be excellent for many gardening purposes. 
Now is a good time to gather leaves, and people liv¬ 
ing near woods free from under-brush, can readily pro¬ 
cure them, in any quantities. The winds frequently 
collect them into piles, in vallies, and along the sides 
of fences, where they can be easily collected and car¬ 
ried to the farm-yard in carts or waggons. They may 
be deposited for use, as needed from day to day, in any 
spare corner of an out-building, or thrown into a slight 
pen made of boards or rails, and kept dry by boards 
over the top. 
How much Lime ought a soil to have? —Prof- 
Johnston considers that a proportion of lime is indis- 
pensible to the fertility of a soil. He thinks that the 
proportion of three per cent, of the carbonate, (or 
common lime-stone,) is not too much, and that there 
are not many cases in which it would be advisable to 
increase the quantity beyond six to ten per cent., pro¬ 
vided, the carbonate is in a sufficiently minute state of 
division. 
“ Book Farming.” —Samuel Williams of Waterloo, 
says, “ I know a farmer, who has paid over $300 for a 
private library, and who takes both th e Albany Cultiva¬ 
tor and Genesee Farmer . In proof that he is something 
more than a theoretical farmer, he sold the surplus pro¬ 
ducts of his farm last year for over $1400, and he paid 
out of the same but $90 for hired help—he has no chil¬ 
dren old enough to work in the fWd. It is hardly ne¬ 
cessary to. say that he is fully up to the improvements of 
the age.” 
Large Dairy.—C ol. Meacham, of Pulaski, N. Y. 
had a farm of 1,000 acres, 300 in grass, keeps 97 cows 
and made one year 30,000 lbs. of cheese. He raised 
yearly 2,000 bushels of carrots for his cows, and gatherd 
300 bushels of grass seed. 
Big Corn Fields. —H. L. Ellsworth, late commis¬ 
sioner of patents, has a thousand-acre corn field, yield¬ 
ing 60,000 bushels of corn, in the Wabash valley. Other 
fields, amounting to 5,000 acres, are adjoining. 
The Season and the Crops In New-Hampshire 0 
“ The harvest is past,” and the fruits of the earth 
are gathered in. A retrospect of the past year, at 
the present time, may be of advantage as comparing 
one year with another, and different localities with each 
other, and as forming a record to which reference may 
be had in after years. 
The last winter was remarkable in this region for 
mildness. January 1st, there was no snow, and no frost 
in the ground. There was much rain, some snow, a 
few days of severe cold, and but few weeks sleighing 
during the winter. April was dry, but May was re¬ 
markably wet, it being rainy nearly half of the time. 
This delayed sowing and planting, but was of great ad¬ 
vantage to grass, for without it the hay crop would un¬ 
doubtedly have been very light, owing to the unfavora¬ 
ble winter. Planting was not completed before the 
first week in June. The first and second hoeings were 
crowded together, and done in haste, as we were obliged 
to commence haying early. The weather was favora¬ 
ble, and the crop, which was unusually large, was se¬ 
cured in good order. 
Wheat blighted badly, some pieces not worth harvest¬ 
ing. It was also injured“by the worm, Cecidomyia tri- 
tici, in the head. A very light crop. Oats good, and 
the grain heavy. Corn that was planted late was in¬ 
jured by the early frosts in September, but in general 
there is an average crop. Potatoes good, and but little 
diseased, though in parts of Merrimack and Belknap 
counties we hear the disease is prevalent, and very de¬ 
structive. Peaches and plums none, and of apples there 
is a limited supply. W. L. Eaton. East Ware , N. 
IF, Nov., 1848. 
